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CASE STUDY
Mixed-use delivers mixed challenges – The Village
The Village, completed in 2009, is a
$300 million mixed-use development in
Balgowlah, 10 kilometres north-east of
the central business district in Sydney.
Formerly a shopping centre site, the
new integrated development includes
234 apartments in seven mid-rise buildings
and a two-tier shopping centre set among
landscaped gardens.
The Village is an excellent example
of an urban redevelopment of the
type needed to accommodate our
growing population.
However, challenges we encountered
on this project have led us to rethink the
viability of this type of development.
We purchased the site in 2001 and
didn’t get off to a good start as we failed
to undertake appropriate stakeholder
engagement and submitted a proposal that
did not comply with local council guidelines.
We responded to this difficult start and
after two years of consulting with the
community and council, the first stage of
the development was approved in 2005.
During the second stage we encountered
more challenges when the local council
imposed unreasonable conditions on the
development that we had to resolve in
court. In every instance the court found
against the council but these delays came
at a considerable cost and materially
reduced the return we had hoped to
make on the project.
Key learnings
Although the final result has been very well
received by customers and the community,
our experiences on this project were a key
factor in our decision to exit the apartments
business due to the high risks created by
the planning approvals process.
On a positive note, this project also
reinforced the importance of early and
effective stakeholder engagement.
The lessons we learned have helped inform
the creation of stakeholder engagement
plans which are now in place across all
of our projects.
Sustainability excellence
The Village features a number of innovative
sustainable design features including a
heat exchange system which harnesses the
waste heat from the retail air-conditioning
systems and uses it to heat water for
residential use. This system is the first
of its kind in a mixed-use development
in Australia. There is also a rainwater
harvesting and reticulation system
comprising a 500,000 litre rainwater tank
that provides water for residential laundries,
toilet systems and gardens.
The Village, Balgowlah, NSW
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Stockland Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Report June 2010